Mucking about with video.

Richard, Harro, Alan – this is for you lot.

The availability of relatively cheap video cameras has led to the mass production of two sorts of movies. Firstly, of peoples’ babies and toddlers being cute. Secondly, of people plain mucking around and playing up to the camera, often with whatever props are to hand. We’re in the latter situation here, with nutters who would appear to be French, bless ’em. They’re in a desert somewhere. The props they’re goofing around with are Mirage F1 jets.

*Shiny* thanks for that.
Did you ever see the Gulf War footage of the Pink Tornados blatting along the valleys? Incredible. And that trick of lifting the gear before you’re actually flying? Seen Tornados do that at RAF Laarbruch (RIP). They *dip* before climbing. Wild.

I’ve seen a very brief clip of a pink Tornado at extreme low-level, but only a brief one. Any links?
As for gear-up take-offs: according to the pilots’ notes for an X-Plane Vampire I’ve been flying of late, one Swedish base CO’s T/O technique involved full throttle, one notch of flaps, a slow count to ten, then the gear lever. With slipper tanks, count to twelve and hope the runway’s long enough. Amusingly, the technique works in X-Plane.
The one thing you have to be wary of is related to pivoting about the c.g.: too much up-elevator and you ground the back end before establishing climb.